Marshall Wace LLP Takes $24.49 Million Position in Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT)

Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Sensient Technologies Co. (NYSE:SXT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 343,676 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock, valued at approximately $24,490,000. Marshall Wace LLP owned approximately 0.81% of Sensient Technologies as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in SXT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Sensient Technologies by 22.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 99,938 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $8,017,000 after acquiring an additional 18,235 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its position in Sensient Technologies by 13.6% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 55,482 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $3,954,000 after purchasing an additional 6,624 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Sensient Technologies by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 185,490 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $13,218,000 after buying an additional 7,148 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Sensient Technologies by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 215,895 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $15,385,000 after purchasing an additional 6,984 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its stake in Sensient Technologies by 309.3% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 77,260 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $6,197,000 after buying an additional 58,386 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.86% of the company's stock.

Sensient Technologies Trading Up 10.7 %

SXT stock traded up $8.58 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $88.72. 389,265 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 294,792. Sensient Technologies Co. has a 1-year low of $66.14 and a 1-year high of $87.98. The company has a current ratio of 3.55, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $72.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $74.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.76 billion, a PE ratio of 30.11 and a beta of 0.63.

Sensient Technologies (NYSE:SXT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.04. Sensient Technologies had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 11.93%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Sensient Technologies Co. will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sensient Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, May 12th will be paid a $0.41 dividend. This represents a $1.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.85%. Sensient Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 55.78%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Sensient Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 22nd.

Sensient Technologies Profile

Sensient Technologies Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and markets colors, flavors, and other specialty ingredients in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, and Africa. The company offers flavor-delivery systems, and compounded and blended products; ingredient products, such as essential oils, natural and synthetic flavors, and natural extracts; and chili powder, paprika, and chili pepper, as well as dehydrated vegetables comprising parsley, celery, and spinach to the food, beverage, and personal care industries.